Western US incomes drop 4 percent

US Census Bureau statistics released Wednesday show the median income of people living in the Western United States has fallen. As KJZZ’s Peter O’Dowd reports, it is part of a wider release of information on the nation’s poverty rate.

PETER O’DOWD: Median household incomes fell 1.5 percent for the entire country between 2010 and 2011. The decline was more than 4 percent in the Western US, where household incomes fell from about $54,630 a year to $52,376 a year.

On the other hand, the number of people living in poverty in the West didn’t change much. Last year, about 11.4 million Westerners lived below the poverty line. The Census Bureau says the change is not statistically significant.

Finally, the number of people without health insurance nationwide fell more than half a percent. In the West -- where 13 million people aren’t covered -- there was no measurable difference.

The Census Bureau will release county-by-county data in each state next week.